Edrick
I hated to leave Moana behind, but I missed too much at work while she was in the hospital. Now that she was safely at home, I only needed to go to the office for a couple of hours to deal with some meetings. Unfortunately, those couple of hours quickly turned into a full day of work. By the time I headed home, it was already starting to get dark out. All I could think about was getting home to Moana and my daughter and spending the rest of the evening with them. However, when I got home things seemed incredibly… off. The penthouse was dark and quiet when I arrived. It wasn’t that late, which was a bit confusing. But as I started to make my way through the penthouse and found Selina sitting in the kitchen by herself with only a lamp illuminating the room, I quickly realized why everything felt so strange. Selina was sitting with her back turned to the kitchen door, but I could tell instantly from the way that heMoanaThe medicine that Selina gave me must have made me sleep for a long time, because it was bright outside when I finally woke up. When I rolled over to glance at my clock with my bleary eyes, I saw that it was eight o’clock in the morning already even though it felt as though I only slept for five minutes. Yawning, I rolled back onto my back and suddenly felt a comforting presence beside me. It was Edrick.Moving slowly in order not to wake him, I slowly rolled over to face Edrick and couldn’t help but smile. He was sleeping soundly beside me. I hadn’t been dragged off to a psychiatric facility in my sleep; at least, not yet. Slowly, his eyes cracked open and he turned to face me. His hand came up and stroked my hair for a moment before he pulled me in tightly and let me bury my face in his chest.We stayed like that for a long time, just holding each other. I breathed in his scent in big, deep breaths, and felt myself relax a little more w
MoanaBy the next morning, Edrick had already called the therapist for me and I was scheduled to have my first session right there in the penthouse that very morning. I was nervous, but also excited in a strange way. I wanted to get to the bottom of these strange occurrences, not only to figure out why this knife seemed to be so prominent in my mind and to see if it had any real, tangible significance, but I also wanted to get better so I could return to work.When the therapist walked into my room, I immediately noticed that he seemed like a nice man. He was older, tall and thin, and had a completely bald head with a gray mustache on his upper lip and a pair of round wire-rimmed glasses sitting on his nose. He had a warm smile on his face and wore a tweed suit, and carried a notebook in his thin hand.“Hello, Moana,” he said, holding his hand out for me to shake. “I’m Dr. Rhodes. Are you ready to get started
EdrickWhen I arrived back at the penthouse after work, I half expected Moana to be still laid up in bed and exhausted after her first therapy session. That would have been perfectly fine and reasonable, but I was completely not expecting her to be standing in the foyer when I first stepped out of the elevator.“I want to talk to you,” she said without so much as a greeting. She grabbed my hand and began to tug almost aggressively on my arm, like I was being an inconvenience just for trying to set down my briefcase and hang my suit jacket on the hook.“Woah, woah, woah,” I blurted out with a chuckle as she tried to pull me away. “What’s the big deal? I haven’t even walked in the door yet. Is everything alright?”Moana nodded. There was a bit of a twinkle in her eyes, which made me smile a bit. That twinkle also made me involuntarily let my guard down, which allowed her to succeed in yanking me away to my office. She pushed me insid
MoanaEven though I half expected to hate the bodyguard who Edrick supposedly found for me, I actually wound up liking my new bodyguard, Kat, quite a lot. During my interview with her, I found out that she was funny and sweet, and she got along well with Ella and loved kids in general. She really seemed perfect — almost too good to be true. Although I still didn’t like the idea of being followed around by a bodyguard all day, I figured that if I had to choose one, then I would choose Kat.The next morning, I returned to work with Kat and Ella by my side. The headmistress and everyone else were under the impression that Kat was just a medical aide that my doctor wanted me to keep nearby due to pregnancy complications, and I preferred to keep it that way. If news got out that the late bloomer with all of the mysterious absences from work was walking around now with an undercover bodyguard, then it would only create more of a fuss over me. I was already despis
MoanaI decided that I couldn’t let Edrick go on for any longer without telling Ella the truth about her biological mother.“I know that you didn’t tell her everything,” I said as I stood in front of him with my hands on my hips. He was standing in front of the bathroom sink in his bedroom and was brushing his teeth. With a sigh, he slowly spit out his toothpaste and then looked over at me.“What do you mean?” he asked. I could tell that he was trying to play it off like he didn’t know what I was thinking about.A frown came across my face. “Don’t play dumb. I know that you didn’t tell Ella about her mother even though we talked about it. Are you going to tell her the truth, or do I need to? Because the longer she goes without knowing everything, the more she’ll resent you when she eventually does find out.”For a few long moments, the handsome Alpha billionaire stared at me unblinkingly with a somewhat shocked and emb
Moana“Moana, wake up!” my wolf’s voice suddenly said. That wasn’t a dream… It was real. The rain was real. The wind beating down on me, whipping my hair into my face, was all real.I opened my eyes, and shrieked at what I saw.I wasn’t in bed. Iwas standing on the balcony, up on the ledge in my nightgown. I felt my stomach drop as I stumbled backwards and clung to the rail, heaving in my chest as the feeling of fight or flight kicked in. Every fiber in me screamed to get away from the ledge, and I scrambled away and back to my feet, sobbing loudly. Nothing could be heard over the sound of my own racing heartbeat and the sound of the wind and the rain; for all I knew, I was really on that cliff from my dream, and Michael very well could be standing behind me with the knife in his hand.The door behind me stood wide open with the wind blowing the curtains aggressively. I ran inside to safety, and as I did, I ran straight into not Mi
EdrickI was sleeping soundly when I suddenly heard Moana’s screams.By the same I jolted myself out of bed and frantically began to scramble in the direction of the balcony where the screams were coming from, she ran into my arms and nearly knocked me to the floor. She was soaking wet and completely inconsolable, repeating things about my father having a knife and killing her with it. When she finally was able to tell me everything that happened, I felt my soul practically leave my body.I didn’t want to let her know how terrified I was, so I kept my calm until she was safely asleep in bed. Her sleeping pills knocked her out quickly, and as soon as I saw her chest begin to rise and fall in a steady, deep rhythm, I quickly jumped to my feet and began to pace while frantically tugging on my air. I couldn’t hide my terror any longer.I had heard stories about these visions before. It was an uncommon phenomena, but it was known to hap
MoanaI woke up after a night of dreamless sleep to the sound of someone rushing around the room. When I cracked open my eyes, I saw Edrick pacing back and forth. He had a pile of shirts in his hand, and I watched in a state of shock as he walked over to a suitcase and quickly shoved the shirts inside.“What are you doing?” I asked, sitting up.Edrick didn’t even look up at me. “We have to go,” was all he said.My eyes widened. “Go where?”“We’re going back to the mountain estate for real this time.”As Edrick spoke, I felt my heart sink. My limbs still felt too heavy from the sleeping meds to move quickly, and as I threw the covers off and swung my limp legs over the edge of the bed, it felt as though I was moving through a thick mud.“Why?” I asked. “You didn’t mention that we would be leaving before. Was it because of last night?”Edrick didn’t answer. I watched with wide eyes
MoanaI couldn’t help but laugh as I thought back on the beginning of our relationship.To think that, just a year prior, I was just Edrick’s one night stand who also became his nanny… And now, here I was, standing in front of the mirror in my wedding dress.The dress that I picked out was beautiful. We planned to have a late summer wedding to commemorate our meeting,six months after little Daisy was born. My dress was a blush pink color. It was soft and flowy with a beautiful floral embroidered pattern, and sleeves that fluttered in the breeze. It hugged my waist in all of the right places and made me feel more beautiful than ever.Daisy was six months old now, and Ella often mentioned how she no longer looked like a squished little grape. Ella had just turned nine, and thought that she was a grown-up, although she still liked to
MoanaAfter ten hours of intense and grueling labor, little Daisy was born.“She’s so tiny,” I whispered as I held the little crying bundle in my arms. The doctor weighed her at just six pounds and twelve ounces, but she was as healthy as an ox.Edrick, who hadn’t left my side throughout the entire delivery, leaned over my shoulder with a wide grin on his face and held his hand out to touch her cheek. Almost instantly, Daisy’s little hand shot out and gripped his index finger with a relentless force for such a little thing.Her eyes were squeezed shut, and yet she still had an instinct to keep her father’s finger in a vice grip.I couldn’t help but laugh, but I also wanted to cry.When I was on the cliff with Michael, I saw my parents at my birth. I did the same thing to my father, and I also wouldn&
MoanaThe time between Michael going to prison and Daisy’s birth were such a whirlwind of activity that the months practically flew by.Ethan and Kelly wound up being transferred to a mental health facility. I think that was better for them in the long run, as the things that they did were ultimately the result of Michael’s brainwashing. I didn’t hold any grudges against them; in fact, Edrick and I visited them on a monthly basis, and the medication and therapy that they went through seemed to be helping a bit.Of course, Kelly could never get over her obsession with Edrick. Nor could Ethan get over his obsession with me. It was very likely that they would spend years in that place, but at least we could have somewhat normal conversations with them when we went to visit.Michael, however, had no visitors and I didn’t feel the least bit bad about it. Verona ev
MoanaThe months in between Michael going to prison and Daisy’s birth were a whirlwind of emotions and unexpected turns. After the incident with Michael, where he was sentenced to prison for his attempt on my life, my world took another astonishing twist.The news outlets revealed a shocking revelation: Moana, the seemingly ordinary girl who was raised in an orphanage, was, in fact, the legendary Golden Wolf.I never imagined my life could become so entangled in a web of fame and attention.Suddenly, everyone wanted a piece of me. All sorts of brands and non-governmental organizations bombarded me with invitations and tempting monetary offers. It was overwhelming, to say the least. My inbox was flooded with messages from high-profile companies and influential figures, all hoping to capitalize on my newfound fame.It felt like the world had changed overnigh
EdrickWithin an hour, Moana and I were nervously walking up the front steps to my parents’ mansion.We left Ella with Selina just in case we walked in on anything sinister. The house was mostly dark, which was out of the ordinary. As I slowly opened the front door, I felt my heart catch in my throat.“Hello?” I called out, holding Moana’s hand as I stepped into the large foyer. “Mom?”There was no answer. Moana and I exchanged nervous glances and walked in a little further.“Verona?” Moana called, cupping her hands around her mouth to make her voice travel further. “Are you there?!”Still no answer. We decided to head into the sitting room, where my mother often liked to be during her free time, but it was dark and empty. At this point, I was starting to get even more nervous.
MoanaA little while later, Edrick and I were standing in the front doorway of the mansion and looking out at the scene before us.The security guards were leading Michael, who was cuffed, over to the car. His nose was still clotted with blood from Edrick’s punch, but something about it was satisfying to see. I enjoyed seeing Michael finally face some consequences for his actions, and I especially enjoyed watching Selina scold him like a child.What was even more satisfying, though, was seeing him being shoved into the back of the car to be driven down to the police station.Kat was found by the guards, too. Not long after Edrick punched Michael in the face, Kat was found hiding in the woods. As it turned out, Michael paid her a pretty penny to get close to me and lead me off into the forest to get lost so that he could kill me. She looked ashamed as the guards cuffed her, and
EdrickI hated to say it, but Moana looked more beautiful than ever as she practically assaulted my evil father on the back lawn.“He’s no threat,” she said as she released her grip on his shirt and let him fall back to the ground, then turned and walked back to meet me. “The knife is gone. He’s just an angry old man now and nothing more.”Moana was right; the knife was indeed gone. It shattered when Michael tried to stab her with it.During those moments when the knife was plunged into her belly, it felt as though my heart stopped. I watched in horror as the knife disappeared into her belly. When my father pulled it out, it was covered in blood and he had a maniacal grin on his face.But something happened then. She became enveloped in that golden light again, only this time it was even brighter and more blinding than before.
MoanaEveryone froze and stared at each other with wide eyes as the sound of the groaning and shuffling came closer.“Daddy?” Ella whimpered. “Who is there?”Edrick slowly sat Ella down, then walked toward the door. He gestured to the security guards, but before anything could be done, the last person we expected walked into the doorway.“Thought you could kill me, huh?”Michael stood in the doorway with an evil smirk on his face. Selina, the maids and I all let out a collective gasp. Selina suddenly grabbed Ella by the arm and shoved her behind us to keep her protected.“Michael,” I said, taking a step forward, “you were dead.”Michael just laughed. “I was indeed,” he said. “But not for long. I guess you didn’t realize that I was waking
Moana“Can you trust me to take care of him?” I asked.Ella began to sob, but I somehow knew exactly what to do. It all felt so natural now… I didn’t even really need to think about it. I just knew to wrap my arms around Ella and comfort her, although whether it was my abilities or simply my nurturing instincts, I couldn’t be entirely sure.Suddenly, Ella stopped crying.“Okay,” she whimpered after a moment, stepping back and wiping her tears out of her eyes. “I trust you. Please take good care of my daddy.”I managed a weak smile and nodded at Ella, taking her little hands in mine. “I will take good care of him,” I whispered as I looked into her eyes, still using my pacifying ability to keep her calm. “Don’t you worry.”Ella nodded and stepped away, allowin